PARIS - Following the departure of Marseille's Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa, the French club stepped back from signing Argentine defender Milton Casco, who was recommended by the recently-resigned coach, according to L'Equipe newspaper.

Marseille and Newell's Old Boys had previously reached a deal for the transfer of the 27-year-old player for around 2.5 million euros (some $2.7 million).

However, the deal was not welcomed by the French club's management, but was only upon the recommendation of Bielsa, who suddenly resigned on Saturday.

Enter your email address to subscribe to free headlines (and great cartoons so every email has a happy ending!) from the Latin American Herald Tribune: